A Little Trust
by Lady Genjutsu
Summary: Chris finds a little bird and Nash gains a little trust.


Disclaimer: I own nothing Suikoden-related.  
  
A/N: I wouldn't exactly call this a romance, but as most people here know already, I'm a big fan of the pairing. I was inspired to write this when I got Kidd to investigate Nash, and one of his investigations said he had a bird named Dominguez Junior. I know Nash had a bird in the Suikogaiden games, but it's too bad we don't get to see Dominguez Jr. in Suikoden III.  
  
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A Little Trust  
  
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Chris did not really notice that it was a beautiful morning at Budehuc castle. The moment she awoke, her mind became filled with the endless responsibilities she had as one of the leaders of the Fire Bringer, and as Captain of the Zexen Knights.  
  
She was getting dressed when she realized it had become rather stuffy in her room. She opened the bedroom window and leaned out to breathe in the fresh morning air. She closed her eyes and released a long sigh, wishing her mind could be as peaceful as the light breeze coming through her window.  
  
She opened her eyes just in time to see a flurry of red feathers before something hit her hard in the face.  
  
The impact caused her to stumble backwards, and she tripped over a chair and landed on her rear with a thud. Getting up back to her feet, she looked around to see what had just flown into her face.  
  
There on the floor lay a red bird, significantly smaller than Scott's parrot. It got to its feet, and blinked uncertainly, obviously unsure of what had just happened.  
  
Despite the fact that the bird's beak nearly took out her eye, Chris smiled sympathetically at the bird. The bird looked at her and with a happy squawk, fluttered up to her shoulder. Chris stroked the feathers on its head and walked back over to the window.  
  
"You seem too friendly to be a wild bird." She took the bird into her hands and held it outside the window. "Go fly back home to your owner."  
  
She gently released the bird into the air, but it swooped around and landed back on her shoulder. Chris tried getting rid of the bird several more times, but each time the scarlet colored bird flew back to her.  
  
Chris was growing mildly frustrated. "Look, I can't keep you. You obviously belong to someone else."  
  
The bird just blinked at her and cocked its head to one side.  
  
Chris couldn't help but smile again. "What's the matter, are you lost? You are a very pretty little bird. Your owner must be worried about you... You couldn't have flown very far... I wonder if you belong to one of the residents in the castle? Let's go take a walk around the castle and see if we can find your owner."  
  
Chris finished getting dressed, and left her room with the red bird settled comfortably on her shoulder.  
  
******  
  
By noon, Chris had still not found the lost bird's owner. She sat at a table outside in front of Mamie's restaurant. The bird hopped down her arm onto the table and looked at Chris expectantly.  
  
"You want some food? I'm sorry, but Mamie's out right now, you'll have to wait. Anyway, we should be concentrating on where to look next." She smiled fondly at the bird, and realized with slight dismay that she was getting attached to the little animal. "Don't worry, you can stay with me until we find who you belong to..."  
  
"Dominguez! There you are!"  
  
Chris looked up to see Nash walking towards them. The red bird suddenly perked up and flew over to him, landing on his outstretched arm.  
  
Nash saw Chris and smirked. "I see you've found him for me. He's been missing for a couple of days, I was wondering if he had gotten lost."  
  
Chris suppressed a groan. Could the lovable bird possibly belong to anyone worse? Her mind was already plagued enough by her responsibilities, she didn't need to deal with Nash's ceaseless sarcasm right now. She said nothing as the haughty Harmonian took a seat from her across the table.  
  
"Thanks for looking after him. Where did you find him?"  
  
"He flew into my window this morning. For some reason, he kept coming back to me every time I tried to send him back out the window. He's been riding on my shoulder all morning. I don't know why."  
  
Nash grinned. "He must be attracted to you, like so many others in this castle."  
  
Chris ignored the comment. "I never knew that you had a bird, I've never seen him before."  
  
Nash shrugged. "I feed him and look after him, but I usually let him fly around and do whatever he wants. That's probably why you haven't seen him before."  
  
"What exactly do you call this bird anyway?"  
  
"He's a lovebird, Chris. They say that if he sits between any two people, they will fall madly in love with each other," Nash replied with a disputably innocent grin. He looked at the bird, which sat in the middle of the table, looking back and forth between Nash and Chris.  
  
Chris shook her head. "That's rubbish if I ever heard it. It's something I'd expect Estella to say."  
  
"You can't blame me for trying."  
  
Chris sighed. "What I meant was, what exactly did you call him just now? His name?"  
  
"His name is Dominguez Junior."  
  
"You mean there was a Dominguez Senior?"  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"I thought you hated animals. You're constantly leaving notes in the comment box that object to Koroku, Connie, and the other animals being allowed in the castle."  
  
Nash shook his head. "I dislike dogs for their disturbing desire to 'mark' me as part of their territory. Birds have no such dim-witted instincts."  
  
Dominguez Junior hopped up Chris' arm and perched himself on her shoulder, nipping playfully at her braided hair.  
  
Chris couldn't suppress a smile, and reached up to her shoulder to pet the bird. "He's certainly a very charming animal. He's very cute and nice looking as well."  
  
"You know," Nash said with a sly grin, "they say that pets and their owners look alike."  
  
"You never give up, do you?"  
  
"Hey, I didn't make up that one!" Nash insisted with a wave of his hand.  
  
Chris ignored him, still fondly patting the bird's red feathers.  
  
Nash watched her for a minute, smiling a little. "You really have grown quite fond of him, haven't you?"  
  
Chris nodded a little. "I suppose I have. I never thought much of birds before, but Dominguez is a wonderful little pet."  
  
Nash leaned over the table and joined Chris in patting the bird on her shoulder. His fingers brushed hers, and she looked over at him. His eyes met her gaze and he grinned.  
  
"You certainly warmed up to Dominguez faster than you did his master."  
  
Chris raised an eyebrow. "Then again, Dominguez isn't egotistical or constantly uttering scandalous remarks."  
  
Nash gave a chuckle. "Fair enough. Nevertheless... I wish you'd let me a little closer."  
  
Chris did not respond, but she looked away from him and took her hand from Dominguez.  
  
Nash withdrew his hand from the bird as well, and sat back in his chair. "But as I can see from your expression, you already find me too close for comfort."  
  
There was a long moment of silence where Nash stared at Chris while she avoided his gaze.  
  
Finally, Nash sighed. "Chris, in a war of this magnitude, you might find that pushing everyone away from you isn't the best way to find a friend."  
  
"And I suppose friendship is what you want," Chris replied, not bothering to hide the cynicism in her voice.  
  
"At this time, friendship would suffice, yes," Nash answered. "Believe me, you aren't some lust-induced faze to me. I respect you much more than that."  
  
"How am I supposed to believe that?"  
  
"I suppose all it takes is just a little bit of trust. You don't really trust me because you believe that I'm nothing but a Harmonian spy and the unfaithful husband of some unfortunate woman. You've never stopped to think that maybe there's more to me than that."  
  
"You've never given me any reason to believe that there is more to you than that."  
  
"Let me ask you something. Did you believe that Dominguez wanted something other than your friendship when he first perched himself on your shoulder this morning?"  
  
"Nash, Dominguez is a bird..."  
  
"He was still drawn to you. When you found him this morning he wanted to be near you, and you trusted him even though he couldn't tell you exactly who or what he was."  
  
"You're not making any more sense by comparing yourself to a bird."  
  
"Then here's the bottom line: Does it really make a difference exactly who or what I am, if you know that there is a friend in me?"  
  
"But how do I know that?"  
  
"Like I said, it just takes a little bit of trust. I'm not asking you to spill your deepest, most closely guarded secrets, Chris. I just want you to open up to me a little every now and then."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I genuinely like you. And if that does not seem to be reason enough, then think of it this way... Everyone needs someone to talk to once in a while. Otherwise, a person would end up becoming broody and withdrawn. I've noticed how stressed you get sometimes, Chris, despite how well you're able to hide it. But who can you share your personal concerns with? You can't spill to your fellow knights, because you're their leader and source of inspiration. But I'm on the level with you, Chris. I'm more than willing to lend an ear when you need someone to talk to. You might detest me for many reasons, but you know that I do not worship you, nor do I regard you as some great hero whom I should be humble to address. You may deny it, but you like that about me."  
  
"You really think you have me all figured out, don't you."  
  
"Do I not?"  
  
Chris smiled very slightly. "You're closer than what I'd want to give you credit for."  
  
Nash smirked triumphantly, but then became serious. "All I'm asking is that you meet me half way... However, regardless of whether you do or not, I'm still here when you need to talk."  
  
He stood up from the table and Dominguez Junior flew from Chris' shoulder to his. Nash pushed in his chair, but did not move for a moment.  
  
"You can visit Dominguez Junior anytime you like. He usually comes whenever I call him, so just ask me when you'd like to see him."  
  
"...Thank you, Nash." Chris didn't meet his eyes, but she hoped he realized that she was thanking him for more than his offer to call Dominguez whenever she wanted to see him.  
  
"You're very welcome." He smirked once more, then turned and left Chris alone at the table.  
  
Chris sat contemplating the conversation they just had. She had to admit, she really could use someone to listen to her woes once in a while. But never before had she consciously thought of the shady spy as being a confidant. Yet, she knew he had a point.  
  
She smiled to herself. She supposed she could spare Nash a little trust. Even if only for the reason that he had a charming red pet bird.  
  
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A/N: This was supposed to be pointless fluff, but it turned out totally different than I expected it to. I'm reaaally sorry for any spelling or grammar errors; I'm notorious for them. I think I like "Does It Matter" better for an in-game Chris/Nash one-shot. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to check it out! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my fic! Friendly reviews are always appreciated! 


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